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Senate votes to call witnesses in Trump impeachment trial

13 February 2021
 Dan Ackermann

The Senate voted 55-45 on Saturday in favor of calling witnesses in former President Trump's second impeachment trial after three days of presentations from House Democrats and Trump's defense team. Five Republicans voted with Democrats to call witnesses.

The state of play: The vote opens up new possibilities for Democrats to strengthen their case, which alleges that Trump incited on insurrection on Jan 6. Witnesses were not called in Trump's first impeachment trial, but Republicans held the Senate majority at that time.

  • Trump himself is among Democrats' most desired witnesses — but the former president already stated that he would not comply willingly.
  • The Senate could vote to subpoena Trump but it is unclear if such a move would have enough support.

Between the lines: Some Democrats originally signaled that they would vote against witnesses. House managers throughout the week aired video and audio recordings of Trump's Jan. 6 rally and the subsequent Capitol attack, which some lawmakers said was sufficient evidence.

  • Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y) on Thursday told reporters that she believes that evidence suffices, stating, "We've heard from many witnesses based on their interviews and their video presentations, so, I feel like we've heard from enough witnesses."
  • Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) stated, "I think the case has been made. I don’t know what witnesses would add," per USA Today.

What's next: After witnesses, managers and Trump's defense team will move into closing arguments. They will be allotted four hours, evenly divided between both sides.

  • A full vote on whether to convict or acquit Trump will follow.

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.